Moving On
by yassandra
Summary: Sequel to A Soft Place To Fall.
1. Chapter One Beginnings

**Moving On**

**A/N: This is the second fan fiction I've written so please be nice to me! Constructive criticism will be accepted – flames ignored. **

**Oh and this will probably make more sense if you've read 'A Soft Place To Fall' first.**

**I'm reposting this and my other TKR story as the original formatting appears to have been lost in one of the site upgrades.**

**Disclaimer: You all know the drill - I don't own any part of Team Knight Rider – let's just say that if I did it wouldn't have been cancelled.**

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Trek Sanders laughed with delight as he popped another wheelie on Plato, his sleek black Honda Blackbird. God it felt good to be away from Sky One. He'd been stuck inside for nearly six weeks, ever since that damn explosion.

"Warp factor nine, Mr Scott," Plato exclaimed.

Trek laughed again, knowing that the AI was enjoying the speed as much as he was. Having been cleared for duty recently, Trek hadn't been able to wait to get out.

"Trek, we need you back here now," Kyle Stewart's voice crackled from his communicator.

Trek sighed and began to slow Plato down, preparing to turn around.

"Guess it's time to go back, buddy," he said.

"Aw Mom. Do we have to?" Plato whined.

Trek smiled. Plato was great at cheering him up. He turned the bike around and sped off back towards Sky One.

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Erica West sat in her chair in the situation room filing her nails. Across the table from her Duke DePalma leant over to say something to Jenny Andrews opposite him. Kyle, meanwhile, moved restlessly around the room, anxious to begin the meeting.

"Kyle," Dante, Kyle's silver SUV, said in his proper English voice, with his picture appearing on the screen behind him. "Trek and Plato have just pulled into the garage. I did tell them that they shouldn't go out."

"Thank you Dante," Kyle responded.

A couple of minutes later Trek bounced into the room. Kyle raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nice of you to finally join us nerdboy," Erica said.

"Yeah… of course you're always Miss Punctuality," Trek retorted.

Duke rolled his eyes. It looked like the Erica and Trek road-show was starting up again. The two operatives were silenced by a disapproving look from Kyle.

"Now that we're _all_ here," he began, "FLAG has a new mission for us."

The team looked at him expectantly.

Kyle pressed a button, bringing up the picture of an elderly man.

"This is Dr Livingston Jacobs…"

"The biologist?" Trek interrupted, looking a little startled.

Kyle shot him a tolerant glare.

"Yeah. Anyway, Dr Jacobs has been working for the highest bidder for the past several years. He's been linked to various outbreaks of a range of diseases all over the world. FLAG has received information that he's working on something new. Basically they want us to find out what he's working on, who he's working for and stop it."

"Where do we start?" asked Jenny.

"I want you and Duke to look at Jacob's former employers. Who, where, when and why. Erica, can you see what you can dig up about his personal background? I'm gonna call a couple of contacts and see if I can find out anything about his current employer."

"What about me?" Trek asked.

"You have a doctorate in genetics, right?"

"Yeah," the young man answered slowly.

"Did you happen to study biology as well?"

"Yeah."

"Ok I'm assuming you still know one or two people at MIT. So what I want you to do is try to find out what Dr Jacobs is up to. We need to know what he's working on and we need to know how to stop it."

Trek pushed his hair back behind his ears.

"I could head up there and talk to a few people," he suggested. He turned to Erica. "Do you want to come with me?"

Erica rolled her eyes.

"Why would I want to do that?"

" 'cause Dr Jacobs used to teach at MIT and I can probably get you his records to look at."

"Alright," Erica sighed. "But you're gonna change that shirt before we go."

Trek looked down at his T-shirt.

"What's wrong with Bugs Bunny?" he asked defensively.

"What's right?" retorted Erica. "I'm not sharing a vehicle with anyone looking like that."

Kyle sighed.

"Can you two please stop for a minute?" he asked. "I think we all know what we're doing now. Dismissed."

As they all walked out through the door Kyle caught Trek by the shoulder.

"Hey," he said. "I know you've been cleared for duty but I want you to take it easy on this one."

The young man rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious, Trek," Kyle stated. "I don't want any problems ok?"

"Yes Dad," Trek answered impudently. "I'll be careful."

Kyle watched him bounce out and shook his head.

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Kyle put the phone down with a sigh. None of his contacts had been much use. He sat in the situation room deep in thought about his next move. Gradually his mind wandered into a contemplation of his team-mates.

Jenny was as exotically beautiful as ever. Kyle's heart jumped whenever he saw her. He was quite prepared to admit to himself that his feeling for her went beyond what was normal for a team-mate but for professional reasons he would never say anything. Jenny was as deadly as she was beautiful and her marine training had helped the team on numerous occasions.

Erica was just as beautiful and, in her own way, just as deadly as Jenny. The former thief and con-artist tended to be unorthodox in her way of handling situations and her approach to teamwork had caused Kyle sleepless nights. Erica was very secretive about her past and tended to hide her feelings and emotions behind a veneer of sarcasm. Recent events, however, had proved that she cared deeply for her team-mates. Kyle had stopped worrying about her commitment to TKR. Her methods might be unusual, but Erica would always come through for them.

Then there was Duke. The African-American ex-cop was so large that people who didn't know him often made the mistake of thinking he was stupid. Duke was actually very intelligent and was surprisingly gentle and articulate. His sensitivity made him almost as valuable to the team as his strength and his courage.

Kyle's thoughts turned to the last and youngest member of the team. Trek. The kid was by far the least experienced of the operatives and under normal circumstances Kyle would never have accepted him on the team. But Trek was far from normal. An immature taste in clothing and a wise-cracking attitude hid a brilliant mind. He could come up with amazing solutions to seemingly impossible problems and seemed to be able to invent any special devices they needed at will. Although his past until the age of twelve was well known, Trek was almost as secretive as Erica about his more recent history. Kyle couldn't help but wonder how much of Trek's apparent attitude to life was a front. He was sure that the kid was a lot tougher than anyone thought.

Kyle shook himself. This certainly wasn't helping with the mission. He got up and quickly left the room.

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As Sky One landed in New England, Erica strode down through the garage. Turning around she saw Trek coming through the door. He was wearing a plain t-shirt and semi-tight jeans and was pulling on his leather jacket as he walked.

"At least he won't totally embarrass me," Erica murmured.

"Why are you always so mean about Trek?" asked Kat.

"Oh come on," Erica responded quietly. "Have you seen him? He's so geeky it's unreal."

"Cute though," Domino interjected.

"Please. You'd think a dead body was cute as long as it was male," Erica retorted.

Before Domino could respond Trek had joined them.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"I… was just wondering if I should ask for a new paint job," Domino answered quickly.

"Well I think you're beautiful just the way you are Dom," Trek said.

"Isn't he a nice boy?" Domino purred.

Erica laughed.

"Come on," she said, swinging her leg over Kat. "Let's go."

She slid her helmet on, snapped the visor shut and pulled the yellow and black Honda Blackbird through the back of the loading bay, waiting for Trek to join her outside.

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Pulling up outside one of the buildings at MIT, Erica couldn't help being a little overawed. She had never been to college and sometimes felt a little jealous of people who had that chance. She glanced across at Trek. The young man was smiling gently to himself and had visibly relaxed.

"Shall we go inside?" he asked.

Erica shrugged as she removed her helmet, hanging it off one arm. Together they walked through the door to the building, pausing in the foyer to allow their eyes to adjust to the lower light. The air conditioned room seemed cool and dark after the bright sunshine and humid conditions outside. Trek moved over to the reception desk and smiled easily at the young woman sitting there.

"Hi we're here to see Professor Wiseman," he said.

The receptionist returned his smile.

"I'm afraid I'll need your name Mr…?"

"His name is Dr Kevin Sanders and I'm sure the professor won't want to see him."

Erica jumped at the sound of the harsh voice behind her. She noticed Trek tense. He turned to face the newcomer, his face unreadable.

"Peters," he said coldly. "It's been a long time."

"Yeah Sanders it has," the other man sneered. "I wish I could say it's good to see you… but it's really not."

Trek shrugged.

"I'm hurt," he retorted.

"Ok," interjected Erica. "Let's put the testosterone away now boys."

Peters' eyes flicked over her.

"Who's the bimbo, Sanders? Managed to pick up a hooker?" he asked.

Erica saw a brief flicker of anger in her team-mate's eyes. But there was no hint of it in his voice when he spoke.

"Look I'm just here to see the old man," he said. "I didn't come to fight with you."

The older man sneered.

"Like I said he won't want to see you."

"Don't you think that's his decision?"

"You left! You abandoned him at the most important part of his research!"

The air in the room crackled with tension. Suddenly another voice spoke.

"Are you here to see me child?" The voice was warm and soft.

Trek turned and smiled at the newcomer.

"I'm hardly a child any longer old man," he observed.

"Well I guess you'd better come through to my office," the old man stated.

"Professor," Peters interjected. "Don't forget you're supposed to be attending a faculty meeting in twenty minutes," he shot a nasty look at Trek. "I'm sure Sanders understands how important it is. He can't expect to just walk in here…"

"You're perfectly capable of attending in my place," the professor interrupted. "The faculty will understand. It's not every day that I get the chance to see old friends," he smiled at Trek, "or make new ones," he added, raising Erica's hand to his lips and kissing it.

Trek laughed.

"You're such a flirt," he said.

"I've got to be true to my nature," laughed the professor. "Come on let's go kid."

They made their way down a corridor and up a flight of stairs. The old man produced a key from his pocket and opened a door, inviting the two TKR members in with a wave of his hand.

Erica gasped as she looked at the office. It was beautiful. The wooden shelves held leather bound books trimmed with gold and a large leather sofa sat against one wall. The old man sat down behind an inlaid wooden desk and formed his fingers into a bridge, regarding them through half closed eyes. Erica sat gingerly on the edge of the sofa. Her team mate stood looking around the room appreciatively.

"Nice," he said.

The old man raised an eyebrow.

"What can I say? The faculty has been good to me." He looked at Trek acutely. "I get the feeling this isn't a social visit. Why've you suddenly come visiting now?"

Trek smiled.

"I should've known nothing gets past you. You've heard of FLAG." It wasn't exactly a question.

"The Foundation for Law and Government? Are you working for them now?" the professor asked, sounding surprised.

"Mmm," the young man shrugged. "I… er… I actually work for Team Knight Rider," he paused at the old man's startled look. "What?"

Wiseman recovered from his surprise.

"Sorry. It's just that I never saw you doing the whole James Bond thing. Q maybe."

Trek sighed, knowing that all too often his team-mates thought the same thing.

"Anyway. The Foundation's interested in the current location and work of Dr Jacobs."

"Poor Livingston," sighed Wiseman. "You worked with him for a while didn't you? Before he sold out?"

Erica looked at Trek with her shock registering in her eyes.

The young genius fidgeted awkwardly, refusing to meet Erica's eyes.

The old man looked at them.

"Ah," he said. "If you'll both excuse me I have to use the bathroom."

He stood and left the room hurriedly.

Erica stood and grasped Trek's arm.

"When were you gonna tell us?" she hissed. "Jesus, were you even gonna tell Kyle? You weren't were you? You were just gonna go off on your own again," she added, recalling a time a year before when Trek had gone off on his own to stop an earthquake machine he had invented as a child.

"No," murmured Trek.

"No what? No you weren't gonna tell us or no you weren't gonna go off on your own?"

"Both," he answered.

Erica let out an explosive breath.

"Just so I know… have you worked with every psycho in the US?" she asked, her irritation making her voice sharp.

Trek finally raised his head to meet her gaze. Erica was struck by the raw emotion in his eyes. Then the mask slipped back into place and she ceased to be able to tell what he was thinking.

Professor Wiseman re-entered and stopped as he saw them staring at each other. Trek looked at him and smiled a little too brightly.

"We need your help," he stated. "Erica needs to see Dr Jacob's personnel file if she can and I'd like your help on what he might be working on."

The old man's eyes narrowed as he looked at the TKR team-members, feeling the tension between them. Finally he nodded.

"Ok kids," he said. "Let's get to work."

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To be continued………


	2. Chapter Two Developments

**A/N: Thanks to ScarecrowsAngel and SeulSidle for reviewing the first chapter – it's given me the confidence to carry on posting this story.**

**Disclaimer: You all know the drill - I don't own any part of Team Knight Rider – let's just say that if I did it wouldn't have been cancelled.**

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Jenny came up fast behind Kyle and rested a hand on his shoulder. She smiled a little to herself as she felt him start slightly at her touch.

"Duke and I finished going through the list of Jacobs' former employers," she informed her team leader.

"And?" he asked.

"Well most of them are dead," Jenny answered, "but I suppose they live in a dangerous world."

"So do we," Kyle responded dryly.

Jenny sighed good-naturedly.

"I've only been able to find one man who he's worked for more than once. His name is Lewis Steel. As far as we can tell he's still alive."

"Do we have an address for him?"

"No," she said.

"Dante?"

"I'll get to work on it Kyle," the silver SUV answered.

Kyle ran his hand through his short light brown hair. Turning he pressed a button on the console in front of him.

"Erica? Trek? Have either of you got anything to tell me?"

There was a long pause. Then Erica's voice came through the communicator.

"No Kyle," she answered lightly. "We're… er… we're working on it."

Kyle nodded.

"Ok. I'll speak to you both later."

"Kyle," Dante's image appeared on the screen. "Lewis Steel is currently in the penal system here in Massachusetts. He's serving life for hijacking a train."

"Do you know which prison he's in?" asked Kyle.

"Of course," Dante sounded offended.

"Ok then. Let's go and visit Mr Steel and see what he's got to say for himself.

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Erica turned and gave Trek a hard look.

"I'd better have done the right thing lying to Kyle," she stated. "But I will tell him if you do something stupid."

"Blackmail," Trek smiled. But Erica noticed it never quite reached his eyes.

"What's goin' on Trek?" Erica asked. "Why didn't you tell us you knew this guy?"

The young man sighed.

"I don't really know," he answered. "It was all so long ago that I suppose it doesn't really matter now. I was Dr Jacobs' assistant for nearly two years but we didn't exactly part on the best of terms. See I found out that he was using college funds for his own work… making a virus."

"What happened?"

"I told the faculty," stated Trek simply. "They investigated, I got moved to work with Professor Wiseman and Dr Jacobs got fired. I guess I've always wondered what would've happened if I'd never said anything. Maybe he wouldn't be doing what he's doin' now. I figured if I told Kyle any of this he'd pull me off the case. He'd say it was too personal."

Erica shook her head, exhaling sharply.

"God," she said. "Listen you can't blame yourself for any of this. Sounds to me like the guy was already crooked before you met him. He'd probably have done this anyway… and we wouldn't have known who he was."

"I guess," answered Trek with a small smile.

"I agree with Erica," Kat suddenly said. "You really mustn't blame yourself for every person who abuses science."

"It's not logical captain," added Plato in a perfect impersonation of Mr Spock from Star Trek.

"Ok, ok I give up," Trek laughed suddenly. "Don't all gang up on me."

Professor Wiseman re-entered the office holding up a thick file triumphantly.

"Got it," he said. "Most of our personnel data is on computer now but some of the supporting stuff is still kept in hard copy. I managed to persuade them to let you see this but it can't go off site. You can use my office as a base if you like."

"Thanks," said Erica.

"That's ok. It's nice to have a bit of excitement in my life," observed the professor. He turned to Trek. "I've been thinking about what Livingston could be doing and I've had a few ideas of places we could start looking."

"Let's get moving then," answered the young man.

The professor turned and left the room.

With a quick grin at Erica, Trek followed him.

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Jenny and Domino followed Kyle and Dante along the highway towards the prison facility they were going to. The top was down on the red and white mustang and the breeze whipped Jenny's dark hair back from her face. She smiled gently to herself allowing the tension to seep out of her shoulders. The day was hot and sticky and Jenny was enjoying the drive and the breeze.

The cars pulled up outside the prison and their human counterparts got out.

Kyle looked back at the vehicles for a moment.

"Keep an eye on things out here," he said.

"Of course," answered Dante.

Beast snorted.

"As long as we can keep Domino from chasing after any cute guards."

Kyle frowned as Domino spluttered at Beast. He turned to Duke and Jenny.

"Let's go."

As the human members of TKR walked towards the prison entrance Beast called after them.

"Jenny you be careful now," he said.

Jenny blushed as Duke started to laugh.

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Trek stared through the microscope at the cells on the slide before him. He'd been at this for hours. Suddenly he felt a hand clamp briefly on his shoulder. He looked up and blinked, adjusting his eyes to the change in distance. Professor Wiseman smiled kindly down at him.

"Found anything?" he asked.

"Maybe," replied Trek, running a weary hand through his hair.

His companion frowned.

"Kid, don't take this the wrong way but you look like hell."

Trek laughed.

"You know old man you sure know how to make a guy feel good."

The professor sighed and continued to watch him without smiling.

"What?" Trek asked.

"Do you ever miss this?" the older man asked.

"MIT? Research?" Trek sighed, his eyes growing distant. "Sometimes I guess. It'd be nice to have someone apart from Plato who understood me sometimes."

"I don't think anyone's ever understood you," laughed Wiseman. "But seriously I do understand what you mean."

"I love working for TKR… it's just that once in a while I'd like someone to say well done. I'd like to feel appreciated. Sometimes I think they think of me as a robot… you know… that I can just keep going no matter what. Sorry. I sound like a spoiled child."

"Hmm," the professor answered. "I was thinking," he continued slowly. "I know that the work you do for the Foundation is important but so is what we're doing here. You know we're developing antigens and cures for horrific illnesses. What we do will hopefully save millions of lives every year. You could make a real difference here. Get back to real research. I'd be honoured to have you on my team. I just thought I'd make the offer."

Trek looked at him, unsure of what to say. The door of the room began to open. The professor gave the younger man's shoulder another squeeze.

"Just promise me you'll think about it, ok?"

"Yeah," Trek answered, finally finding his voice.

Erica stepped through the now open door and looked at the two men quizzically.

"Everything ok in here?" she asked.

"Fine," Trek responded shortly.

"Okay. Listen are you nearly done here? 'cause I think I'm about finished for the day."

"Just let me clear up," the young man answered.

"You do know that that's what we have student lab assistants for?" Professor Wiseman queried, frowning slightly.

The ghost of a smile flickered briefly across Trek's lips.

"You know it's not so very long ago that I was a student lab assistant. I'm kinda used to clearing up after myself now anyway."

The old man's frown deepened.

"Well I guess if it makes you happy," he said. "I'll be back to lock up later."

Erica watched the professor leave in silence.

"What's up with him?" she asked, turning towards Trek.

The young genius shrugged.

"He gets kinda moody sometimes," he stated by way of explanation. He turned his attention back to the desk in front of him, concentrating on tidying up the equipment.

Erica sighed, realising that Trek wasn't going to say any more, and went to join Kat and Plato outside.

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Back on Sky One, Kyle sat down heavily in his seat in the situation room waiting for Jenny and Duke to join him. As they sat down he pressed the button on his communicator.

"Erica, where are you?" he asked.

"On our way back to you," Erica's voice came through the com-link.

"Did you find anything useful?"

"Possibly," responded Trek. Kyle frowned slightly with worry at the sound of his younger team-mate's voice. The kid sounded tired.

"Are you both ok?" Duke rumbled.

"Of course," Trek responded brightly.

Kyle sighed and settled back into his chair, deciding to wait for Erica and Trek to arrive before getting into the briefing.

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The two Honda Blackbird's pulled smoothly up the ramp into Sky One's garage and came to a stop before their respective terminals. Erica slid off Kat, removed her helmet and looked at her watch. It was nearly midnight. She couldn't believe how late it was. Sighing she realised that the team would probably be pulling crazy hours on this assignment.

Erica looked across at Plato as Trek got off and removed his helmet. She frowned as she looked at her team-mate. The young man looked tired and paler than normal. This had been his first proper day back at work since the explosion and Erica worried that it had been too much for him. Shuddering, she remembered how frighteningly weak Trek had been when he had awoken from his coma. It hadn't been pleasant to watch him struggle through each day or to know how much pain he was in. Erica suddenly felt a surge of protectiveness towards the young man. She looked up and saw him watching her.

"Are you ok?" he asked, tilting his head to one side slightly.

"I was just going to ask you the same thing nerdboy," responded Erica, trying to keep her tone light.

Trek rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"I asked you first," he observed.

"Yeah but I asked you last."

The young man slowly shook his head.

"I'm fine," he retorted. "Let's go Kyle'll be waiting."

Erica's eyes narrowed.

"Fine," she answered tightly.

They walked down a corridor in silence until Trek suddenly stumbled. Erica reached out without thinking and caught his arm to stop him falling.

"I told you I was fine," the young man said, shaking Erica's hand off.

"God you're so stubborn," she yelled, suddenly angry.

"And you're not?" he retorted.

"Don't try to make this about me."

"Don't treat me like a child."

"Then don't act like one," shouted Erica. Her anger drained away as quickly as it had appeared. "I'm just worried about you."

A shadow flickered briefly across Trek's face and he sighed.

"I know," he said. "But I really am fine now… just a little tired."

"Go to bed then," Erica argued reasonably. "Kyle'll understand. I'll explain everything to him."

For a second she thought that Trek would argue with her but then he shrugged, giving her a small smile.

"Ok," he said. "Thanks."

Erica smiled at her younger friend, watching him move back down the corridor towards his quarters, before sighing and heading towards the situation room.

Kyle looked up as she slipped into the room and took her seat. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Where's Trek?" he asked.

"I persuaded him to go and get some sleep," Erica responded.

"Is he ok?" Jenny sounded worried.

Erica smiled.

"Yeah just a bit tired."

"If the kid can't handle the pressure then he needs to be replaced," growled Beast.

"It's got nothing to do with not handling pressure," Erica jumped to her team-mate's defence, getting angry again. "He's been off sick for six weeks, it's been a really long day and he's been thrown in at the deep end. He'll be fine in a couple of days."

"Looks like Erica's got herself a boyfriend," Beast said nastily.

"Beast!" Duke roared.

The room was silent for a minute.

"If you've quite finished, Attack Beast," Kyle said icily. He turned to Erica and regarded her seriously not quite sure how to proceed. Erica was closer to Trek than any of the others but Kyle knew that she would never admit openly that they were friends. He sighed silently.

"Just keep an eye on him ok? I don't want any serious problems," he sighed audibly. "If you think it's too much for him let me know. I get the feeling he's not as well as he's pretending to be."

Erica regarded Kyle coolly.

"Trek's fine, Kyle. He was just a bit tired. So am I… it's been a long day. Can we get on with the meeting now?"

Kyle looked at her for a moment and then nodded curtly.

"What did you find out?"

"Livingston Jacobs is an orphan," Erica answered. "The background checks done by MIT showed that his parents died when he was a child. He grew up in a variety of orphanages and foster homes. He graduated from high school two years early and went straight on to college with a full scholarship. Records from the schools he went to describe a brilliant but troubled kid. He never had any close friends… always held people at arms length… poor social skills. Almost got expelled at thirteen when he got into a fight. Apparently the other kid had been bullying Jacobs and said something about his mother and Jacobs snapped. By the time they pulled him off the other kid was unconscious. He got taken to hospital with a broken jaw and Jacobs got suspended. If he hadn't been so clever… and if there hadn't been witnesses to the bullying… then he would have been expelled for sure. As it was he had to spend the next couple of years going to a psychiatrist to teach him how to handle anger. When he went to college he suddenly seemed to calm down… grew up I guess. That's about as far as I've got so far. There's a hell of a lot of paperwork to go through."

"What about Trek?"

"He and an old friend, Professor Wiseman, were looking at something. Trek seems to think they were making progress but I'm really no good at all that science stuff so you'll have to ask him yourself."

"Ok thanks. Duke and I went to visit Lewis Steel in prison," said Kyle. "He wouldn't say anything… claimed to be completely innocent… but he did seem to be extremely smug about something. I just wish we knew what it was."

"I went to talk to the prison guards," interjected Jenny. "Apparently Steel's only had one visitor, apart from his lawyer, in the last year. A middle aged man who called himself John Jones. He visited several times. The last occasion was about a month ago. I showed the warden a picture of Jacobs and he thought it was the same man but wasn't sure. He kept the photo to show a couple of guards who weren't on duty today. He's going to call me tomorrow."

Kyle relaxed a little and smiled.

"Ok. I guess there's nothing more we can do tonight. Erica, you and Trek go back to MIT tomorrow and see what else you can find out. Jenny, I want you to find out from the warden whether or not it's definitely Jacobs that's been visiting. And Duke and I will go back to see our friend Mr Steel. I think we can all go to bed now. Dismissed."

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The incessant beeping of his communicator brought Trek back to full consciousness. Cracking open an eye, he raised his arm and blinked owlishly at his watch. 7.15. He sighed knowing that he would never be allowed to go back to sleep. He tapped a button on the face of the watch.

"What's up Kyle?" he asked sleepily.

"I need you to join me in the situation room when you're ready," came the response.

"Sure."

He tapped the watch again to shut off communications. As he moved into the small bathroom he shrugged off his t-shirt and boxer shorts. He wrapped a towel around his waist and plugged in his electric razor, squinting at his own reflection in the mirror. After shaving, he turned on the shower and stepped into the hot stream. As the water hit his shoulders, Trek leant forward and braced himself against the wall. Sighing he rolled each of his shoulders in turn, grunting slightly at the stiffness in them. He supposed he should tell Kyle just how tired and stiff the day before had made him but he didn't want the team watching him all the time. Removing one hand from the wall he ran his fingers lightly over the fresh scars on his right side. He sighed again, knowing that he had been left with a permanent reminder of the explosion. The water began to run cold and Trek shook himself. Having lathered and rinsed his hair, he stepped out of the shower still feeling tired.

He dressed quickly and slid on his sneakers. He couldn't be bothered to dry his hair this morning so he combed it and pulled it back into a short ponytail which dripped slowly down his back. He went back into the bathroom and took a contact lens case off the shelf before pausing and then putting it back. The idea of putting his fingers near his eyes while he was still tired didn't appeal. Instead he took a glasses case off the shelf and shoved it into his pocket, then left the room, turning the lights off as he went.

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Kyle sat in the situation room waiting for his team-mates to arrive. The clock on the wall read 7.30 in bright red neon numbers. Slowly he ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. He was tired. After the meeting last night he hadn't been able to get to sleep until after 2 and had then been woken up by a message from FLAG headquarters at 6.30.

The door slid open and Jenny strode into the room, looking as fresh and awake as if she'd been up for hours. Which she probably had, Kyle reminded himself, knowing that Jenny's military habits died hard. The stunning brunette smiled and greeted her superior. After the message he had received from FLAG, Kyle couldn't bring himself to return her smile.

Duke and Trek entered, discussing something in low voices. A few seconds later they were followed by Erica, who was still wearing her nightclothes and robe. Kyle raised an eyebrow at the former thief but chose not to comment.

"Ok," he started. "I'm sorry to have to call you all before breakfast but I got a call from FLAG at around 6.30 this morning." He paused and sighed. "The situation with Livingston Jacobs has got more serious. FLAG has received information about what he's working on." He turned towards Trek. "Have you heard of something called the Tarsus virus?"

The kid looked startled.

"Tarsus? Yeah I've heard of it. It's a retrovirus." He looked at Kyle seriously. "Listen Kyle, do you know what this can do to people?"

Kyle sighed again.

"I was briefed," he answered shortly.

"Then you know we have to stop him."

"That's the whole idea Trek."

"The worst thing about Tarsus is that it's a bit like Ebola… by the time you know you've got it you're pretty much dead."

"If we need it can you get me a vaccine or an antigen?"

Trek frowned deeply.

"I can try," he answered in an uncertain tone. "But without knowing how much he's mutated the original virus it's gonna be difficult. Working with Tarsus is what Dr Jacobs was fired from MIT for. I mean he's been workin' on this for years. I'll do my best but our best bet is to stop him before he can release it."

Kyle frowned.

"I know," he admitted. "But if we can't we're gonna need a fallback plan. Erica said you were working with someone at MIT. Could he help?"

"Maybe," answered the young man. "I can probably do a lot myself. It's whether I can do it in time…"

"You have to," stated Kyle sharply. "We'll carry on with what we had planned to do for the day but we need to wrap this one up quickly. Trek, you and Erica need to get back to MIT as soon as possible. I guess that's all I need to say for now. I think we should all go get some breakfast. Oh… and Erica… please go and put some clothes on before you distract half the staff."

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To be continued………


	3. Chapter Three You're Going To What?

**A/N: Ok first things first – I'd like to thank all of you who've given me such good reviews.**

**I'd also like to apologise – this chapter was never supposed to take this long to produce. I'll try to be a bit quicker with the next one.**

**Disclaimer: You all know the drill - I don't own any part of Team Knight Rider – let's just say that if I did it wouldn't have been cancelled.**

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Erica wandered through the corridors of Sky One with a sandwich in her hand. It had been a frustrating day and she hadn't learned much more about Jacobs' background. She stepped through a door into a lab area and paused, watching her partner move around with practised ease. The young man had come here as soon as they had returned from MIT, stating that he needed to work on some samples. That had been four hours ago and to Erica's knowledge he hadn't even stopped to eat.

She walked over to the cluttered lab bench and put the sandwich down, carefully selecting a clear space. For the life of her she could never work out how Trek managed to work in so much mess.

"Hey," she said lightly. "This place is beginning to look like your room."

Trek snorted in exasperation.

"I'm kind of busy Erica. I don't really have time for a fight right now."

"I brought you a sandwich."

The young genius blinked in surprise and then eyed his blonde companion suspiciously.

"What do you want?"

"I don't always want something, Trek. I just happened to notice that you missed dinner and I thought you might be hungry."

"Ok now I know something's up. What's in the sandwich? Rat poison?"

"It's peanut butter if you must know. I'm hurt that you'd think I'd do anything to it. Can't I be thoughtful for once?"

Trek rubbed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he apologised, "it's just that I've got a lot of work to do and I'm already tired."

"Well you can stop for a sandwich at least," Erica stated.

Trek half smiled and put down the slide he was holding. He sat down on the opposite side of the bench and took a large bite from the sandwich.

"Thanks," he mumbled, his mouth full.

"That's gross," Erica shuddered.

The young man swallowed his mouthful.

"Sorry," he said. "I just suddenly realised I was hungry."

"So how's it goin'?"

Trek frowned and shrugged.

"Not great. I don't know if Kyle realises just what he's askin' me to do."

"You'll get it… you always do," stated the blonde ex-thief.

Trek sighed again.

"You know the day will come when I won't be able to do what Kyle wants in time… I always worry that that day's gonna be today… most of the time the pressure keeps me on my toes. I guess I enjoy it most of the time… but at the moment…" he trailed off into silence.

Erica regarded her companion seriously.

"At the moment you're tired and more than a little depressed," she observed. "There's something else botherin' you though. You've been too quiet all day. What is it?"

"Professor Wiseman asked me to leave FLAG and join his team yesterday."

"Oh," said Erica in surprise. "So how'd he take it when you said no?"

The room was silent for a minute. Erica stared at her companion with a sinking feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. Trek was avoiding her gaze, biting his lower lip and fidgeting awkwardly.

"You did say no didn't you?" she asked incredulously.

"Not exactly," the young man mumbled.

"So what exactly did you say?" Erica demanded.

"I said that I would think about it," he snapped. "The truth is that you don't really need me."

"Don't need you! Of course we need you! Who the hell else would we have?"

"I don't know," Trek answered. "It's just that I'm not sure I belong here anymore… I'm not sure I ever did belong."

Erica glared at him. She couldn't believe that someone who was so smart was being so unbelievably dense.

"Well I guess there's no more to say then," she said coldly.

Trek looked at her sadly. He had hoped that she wouldn't react like this.

"Look," he said, "could you do me a favour and not tell Kyle about any of this just yet? I haven't actually decided what I'm gonna do and I need to think things through without and 'help'."

"Whatever," said Erica as she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room.

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Early the next morning Trek sat watching the sunrise and thinking dark thoughts. He had been up all night working at producing an antigen and had come to a conclusion that he really didn't like. Too tired and numb to carry on without a break, he had slipped out of Sky One and was now nestled against one of the great plane's back wheels enjoying a cigarette. None of the other team members knew that he smoked and he preferred to keep it that way; enjoying his guilty little pleasure in secret without anyone nagging him.

The sky was really beautiful with the sun setting the clouds on fire as far as the eye could see. For a minute Trek was able to lose himself in it before his mind turned back to darker matters.

He took a long drag on the cigarette, closed his eyes and let his head rest against the wheel behind him. The meeting this morning promised to be moderately unpleasant especially given what he was going to tell Kyle. Still there was no avoiding it; it had to be done.

He stood slowly, stretching and listening to the faint pops coming from his back as he did. Grinding the cigarette butt under his heel to make sure that it was out, he slowly made his way back inside to the lab to check on the samples he had left running.

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Kyle sighed in exasperation. The morning meeting was about to get under way and as usual Trek was late. It really was getting to be a bit too much of a habit for Kyle's liking. In addition Erica seemed to be upset about something and the resulting tension gave Kyle a horrible feeling that the meeting was not going to go well. Not for the first time he wished that his team could be a little more like the Mission Impossible team.

He frowned as his youngest team member entered the room in no apparent hurry. There were times when he wondered if Trek was going out of his way to make things more difficult; adding pressure to a situation by working to his own schedule – one that didn't always fit in with everyone else. This was one of those times.

Kyle's frown deepened as he noted that Erica and Trek were sitting as far away from each other as they possibly could and were avoiding even looking at each other. He sighed. Some days he wished that he hadn't bothered getting out of bed.

As Kyle opened his mouth to speak he was interrupted by Trek.

"Kyle, before you say anything there's something I need to tell you… and you're really not going to like this."

"Go on."

"Several years ago I was working as a research assistant at MIT," the young man paused and swallowed before going on. "I was assigned to work with Livingston Jacobs."

As the young genius fell silent again Kyle stared hard at him. Trek was staring at the table, refusing to meet anyone else's eyes, his hair hiding most of his face.

"Carry on," Kyle ordered, his tone hard.

"I worked with Dr Jacobs for nearly two years. I wish I could tell you he was some kind of monster but the truth is that he was always very good to me," the boy paused again and sighed. "It makes what happened a bit harder I guess. One night I'd been working late… had to wait for some tests to finish. As I was leaving I noticed that Dr Jacobs' light was still on. I stuck my head around the door to say goodnight but he wasn't there so I kind of snuck a peek at what he was doing. He was working on the Tarsus virus. On mutating it. At the time I didn't know why. What I did know was that there was no logical reason for him to be messing with it. It had nothing to do with the project we were working on." He sighed again. "A couple of days later I was talking to someone else from the faculty and I kind of let slip what I'd seen. There was an inquiry and Dr Jacobs was fired for misappropriating college funds. I know I should have told you all this at the start of the mission but it all felt like it was so long ago. Sometimes it feels like it was a lifetime ago or that it happened to someone else and I've only heard about it. I knew I had to tell you though when you said that he was still working on Tarsus," Trek paused again and looked up at Kyle for the first time. "I can develop an antigen from a sample of the original unchanged virus. But it wouldn't work on a mutated version. Like I said yesterday Jacobs has been playing with Tarsus for at least ten years. And without knowing exactly what he's done to it there's no way that an effective antigen can be developed. I wouldn't even know where to start."

The room fell silent, the tension palpable. Finally Kyle squeezed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

"Shit," he swore. He opened his eyes and gave Trek a frosty look. "You should have told me you knew Jacobs."

The young man looked back at him steadily.

"I know," he said simply.

There was a long pause.

"What does the Tarsus virus actually do?" rumbled Duke.

"There are two forms," Trek stated, "one is water borne and the other is airborne – obviously the airborne form is the really scary one. Tarsus is also fast acting. Within twenty-four hours of exposure symptoms begin to develop. At first it presents like a mild case of flu with the occasional nosebleed. By forty-eight hours the internal organs begin to be irreparably damaged and from here on victims are in increasing pain. By seventy-two hours most victims are comatose with death occurring shortly after. There's an eighty percent death rate among victims and most survivors are left with horrific side effects."

"Ok so we need to stop this," interjected Jenny. "What's our next move?"

Kyle looked at each of his team in turn.

"Well you told me last night that Jacobs has definitely been visiting Steel, Jenny, so we need to find out what the link is between them and to identify the potential targets." He sighed. "Steel's an anarchist but whatever he's doing has gotta be for his own good. We need to find out where Steel's still getting his money from too. We need to shut both these guys down permanently."

"Is there anyone Steel's got a grudge against?" asked Erica.

"I started looking into that last night," responded Duke. "There's a long list."

"Ok," Kyle said, "we'll split the list up between us. Take a couple of names each and see what we can come up with on them. I think we can probably have some breakfast now ok? Oh, and Trek, I think we need to talk."

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Erica sighed as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Staring at a computer screen for the last few hours had given her a headache which wasn't helped by the conversation she had had with Trek last night.

She rolled her neck and took a sip of the steaming coffee, nearly scalding her mouth in the process.

She didn't really understand how Trek could think they didn't need him. Much as she teased him she couldn't imagine the team without him.

Erica sighed again and drained her cup. It was time to get back to work.

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"Kyle." Kat's voice broke the TKR team leader's concentration. "I've found something you might be interested in."

Kyle quickly saved the file he was working on.

"What have you found Kat?"

"I was checking the names that you gave me and cross-checking them with Livingston Jacobs' background. He has a daughter. Melissa. Her mother remarried when she was two and her new husband legally adopted Melissa. The husband's name is John Drewton. I did some research on him and found that he was the judge who sentenced Lewis Steel."

"Thank you Kat."

Kyle pressed a button on the console and called the human members of the team to the situation room. As soon as they were all present he quickly told them of Kat's discovery.

"So both Jacobs and Steel may have a grudge against Judge Drewton," Duke observed.

"Yeah," Kyle answered shortly. "Jenny, you, Dante and I are going to go and have a talk with the judge and his family. I think Judge Drewton just became our number one target."

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To be continued………


	4. Chapter Four Here Comes The Judge

**A/N: As some of you may have gathered this story has been on hiatus for a while (in fact all my stories have!) I never meant four years to pass before I updated but a little thing called real life intruded. Anyway I'm finally back and raring to go – so let's get on with this shall we?**

**Disclaimer: You all know the drill - I don't own any part of Team Knight Rider – let's just say that if I did it wouldn't have been cancelled.**

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The person on the intercom at the gate had been distinctly unhelpful, Kyle decided as he drove Dante up the long gravel drive to Judge Drewton's house. Describing the property as a house might have been an understatement; mansion would have been closer to the mark. For the first time in a long while Kyle felt underdressed as he stepped out of the silver SUV and surveyed the building in front of him.

"Big isn't it," remarked Jenny as she slid out of the passenger side of the car.

Kyle turned and offered her a quick smile before walking briskly to the front door and ringing the doorbell.

He had to admit to himself that the maid who answered the door looked less than friendly. She looked over both TKR members with barely concealed contempt and kept them waiting on the doorstep while she carefully examined the ID they had offered. Finally allowing them inside, she sullenly told them to wait where they were and not touch anything while she disappeared through a side door.

Kyle looked at Jenny and raised an eyebrow sardonically. Without a word the two operatives began to examine their surroundings.

The entrance hall was vast and richly, if tastefully, decorated. Jenny looked up from a vase she was inspecting.

"You know FLAG really doesn't pay us enough."

Kyle regarded his beautiful team-mate quizzically.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Sorry," Kyle responded, "it's just that for a second there you sounded just like Erica."

Jenny laughed – a sound which Kyle had to admit to himself was one of his favourites.

Both TKR members turned as someone behind them cleared his throat purposefully; a sound quite obviously intended to attract attention while managing to convey a whole world of disapproval at the same time.

Kyle swung around, automatically dropping into team leader mode. The man in front of him was short and stocky with a rigid posture and iron-grey close cropped hair. Despite the sweltering heat he was dressed impeccably in shirt, tie and blazer, and Kyle once again felt the unpleasant sensation that he was somehow underdressed.

John Drewton was regarded as something of a high flyer in the legal world. A judge before his fortieth birthday, he had presided over some of the most difficult cases in legal history. Whilst being highly regarded by his peers, he had lately come under fire for his tough sentences and intolerant politics. Unfortunately he was also one of FLAG's most outspoken critics, referring to TKR as "a bunch of undisciplined vigilantes". Thinking about this as he moved towards the Judge, Kyle began to have real doubts about the success of what he and Jenny were here to do.

"I understand you wished to speak to me," said Judge Drewton, ignoring Kyle's proffered hand.

"I'm sorry to disturb you. My name's Kyle Stewart and I'm with..."

"I know who you are," Drewton cut in. "Now what gives FLAG the right to think they can interrupt my family's Saturday afternoon?"

"We've received details of a possible threat to you and your family, sir," began Jenny.

"And the gallant members of Team Knight Rider have swept in on their white horses to save me," Drewton laughed sardonically. "Go on, Miss Andrews. Tell me about your 'threat'."

Jenny looked surprised.

"How do you know my name?"

The Judge favoured her with a cold smile.

"I've made it my business to find out as much about your group as possible. As far as I'm concerned your activities are little better than those of some of the criminals who come before me in court. If it weren't for the fact that you enjoy the protection of our current administration I would personally ensure that you were brought to account for your actions. I will be standing for Congress and you may be sure that once elected I will work to remove your legal protection and to stop all funding for FLAG. It's about time someone took a stand against ex-officio vigilante groups like yours."

Kyle frowned deeply.

"Judge Drewton, we've come here in good faith to warn you about a threat to your safety," he began. "We're well aware of your opinions on our work but whether you choose to believe it or not we are here to help you."

The shorter man turned slightly and glared at Kyle pugnaciously.

"Well go on then," he said. "What's this great threat to my safety?"

"Your wife's former husband, Dr Jacobs..."

"Livingston?" the Judge barked a short laugh. "Your great threat is Livingston?"

As he spoke a pretty woman came out of a side room. Judge Drewton turned and held his hand out towards her.

"Come here darling. These people are from Team Knight Rider. They've come here to warn us that your ex-husband is posing a threat to our safety." He turned back towards Kyle, all traces of good humour draining from his face. "Now you listen to me, Mr Stewart," he said. "Livingston Jacobs is a sad little man who refuses to accept that Mary no longer wants to be with him. He's not a threat, he's just pathetic. I receive threats all the time from serious sources and I'm not about to react to a spurious warning from a quasi-legal group who, as far as I can see, are merely making a pathetic attempt to change my opinion of them."

"Judge Drewton..."

"You have one minute to leave this house before I call the police and have you charged with trespass."

Kyle and Jenny exchanged a helpless look. The TKR team leader turned back to Drewton.

"Thank you for seeing us your honour," he said. "I'm sorry you feel we've wasted your time."

With that they turned and left.

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Back on Sky One Kyle called a team meeting.

"So how'd it go with the Judge?" Duke asked once they were all seated.

Jenny snorted.

"The man's an idiot," she said.

Kyle frowned at her.

"Well he is," Jenny argued. "He hardly let us talk and when we did it was clear he didn't believe a word we were saying. He thought that we'd created a possible threat to try to change his mind about FLAG."

The team leader sighed.

"Well we're just going to have to stop Jacobs and Steel without Judge Drewton's co-operation. Have we got any further finding out where and when the attack will happen?" He turned towards Duke.

Duke frowned and shrugged helplessly.

"Nah," he said. "Without more information I'm still at square one."

Kyle sighed.

"I guess it was too much to hope for that anything about this case would be easy." He looked around the table. "Does anyone have any good news for me?"

The silence around the table was palpable. Kyle sighed again.

"Ok does anyone have anything else to add?"

"Money makes the world go 'round," Plato interjected.

"What's he on about this time?" Erica looked confused.

"Trek?" Kyle turned to the young man for an explanation.

"Liza Minnelli, Cabaret, 1972," came the answer. "Plato you're brilliant!"

"And are you planning on telling us why he's brilliant?" the team leader asked.

The boy ignored him, already staring intently at the screen in front of him, fingers flying on his keyboard.

"Trek?" Kyle said exasperatedly, trying to get his youngest team-mates attention.

"What? Oh sorry. What Plato meant was that if we can trace Dr Jacobs' money we should be able to trace Dr Jacobs. And if we can find where he's based..."

"We can stop him," Duke finished.

"Ok," said Kyle, "what help do you need?"

The young man blinked in surprise.

"Um, I think Plato and I can pretty much handle it," he said.

"Right," Kyle answered. "If we can't find out where and when the attack will happen, I think the rest of us need to see if we can identify any further targets. Let's not focus so much on Judge Drewton that we blind ourselves to any other possibilities."

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The basement room was dark and dingy. Hardly the sort of place you would expect a brilliant award winning scientist to have his lab, Livingston Jacobs thought to himself. Still he supposed his activities over the last ten years meant that the scientific community would remember him with contempt rather than respect. But it would all have been worth it if he could just see Melissa again; all his sacrifices, the ridicule, the contempt, selling his services to the highest bidder, all worth it.

One last job and then he would be done. Lewis Steel would pay him well enough that he could afford to disappear and start a new life with Melissa. Steel would gain his freedom and plenty of money into the bargain, Jacobs would get the life he wanted, and as a bonus John Drewton would be dead.

Carefully, Livingston Jacobs took a vial from a lock-box. In a vacuum chamber he prepared a capsule which he inserted into a syringe driver. That, in turn, was inserted into a doll, the needle barely poking through one vinyl hand. He wrapped the doll up well – after all he didn't really want some unsuspecting postal worker to become infected rather than the intended recipient.

Turning to the remaining vials he began to make his preparations.

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"Got him!" Trek's cry was almost exultant. "See what I did was..." he trailed off at Kyle's tolerant glare. "Well I guess it doesn't really matter what I did. He's in a town called Havenford not far from here."

Kyle turned to Duke.

"I think it's time to let the Beast out of his cage," he said.

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The house Trek directed Beast to was a few miles outside town. The road had petered out to be little more than a dirt track some way back and the house had a distinctly abandoned look to it, with the shutters hanging loose from the windows.

"Are you sure about this, Trek?" Duke rumbled.

"Of course I am," the kid answered. "Dr Jacobs' financial records led straight here... Of course if I'd have been trying to hide I'd have bounced the money around a bit more and made sure no-one could trace it to me," he added with a sniff.

Erica snorted from the back seat.

"Want me to take this place out with a missile, Duke?" Beast growled.

"No," Trek yelped. "If he's got the airborne form of Tarsus inside, a missile could release it into the air – you'd kill everyone within a ten mile radius."

"Better not, Beast," said Duke. "Can you scan the house for me please?"

"There's no-one inside," the truck answered.

"Stay here," the ex-cop said, "and try to stay out of sight."

"What's the point of driving a super-truck if all you ever want is for me to stay out of sight?" Beast grumbled.

Erica laughed as the three operatives ducked inside the house.

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The mood in the Situation Room was sombre as Duke reported to Kyle what they had found in Jacobs' house.

"We didn't miss him by much," the large man stated. "He'd only been gone for an hour or two but he'd taken every trace of Tarsus with him."

Kyle swore. All the luck they'd had on this case had been bad. He and Jenny had made one final attempt at cracking Lewis Steel while the others had been searching for Jacobs – it hadn't gone well.

Before Kyle could respond any further, Dante interrupted them.

"Kyle," he said, "you have a telephone call... from Mary Drewton."

Kyle exchanged a startled look with Jenny.

"Hello?" the voice was sweet and more than a little frightened. "Is that Mr Stewart?"

"Kyle Stewart speaking, Mrs Drewton."

"My husband doesn't know I'm calling you," Mary Drewton said hurriedly, "but after you came to see us today..." she left the sentence hanging.

"How can we help you?" Kyle asked.

"It's my daughter, Melissa. You see she didn't come home last night. John doesn't know. He's always so hard on her. I thought she was just acting up – they don't exactly get on. Melissa's not a bad girl but she and John have been fighting a lot lately," she paused. "You coming to see us made me think. You see whatever John says Livingston doesn't want me back. He wants our daughter. He always has," she paused again, taking a deep breath.

Kyle looked around the table.

"Please help me, Mr Stewart," Mary Drewton said, her voice throbbing with emotion. "Melissa's only sixteen. Please. Help me find my daughter."

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To be continued………


End file.
